For the joy that was set before him He endured the cross, despising the shame.
COVID Thoughts: I am of two minds about our response to COVID. When the shutdown is presented as “sacrifices we make on behalf of the vulnerable and elderly,” I am encouraged. But when it feels like a desperate attempt to “save our lives at any cost,” which is increasingly what it feels like, I am discouraged. As Christ followers we must remember there is more to life than avoiding death.
Which Comes First: It’s not like we need another study to tell us that too many people watch too much TV. But I found this study interesting.
Heaven Can’t Wait: Last weekend I spoke on heaven. That sermon is here. Several have written asking for books to read about heaven. Here are three: Randy Alcorn, Heaven; NT Wright, Surprised by Hope; and Anthony Hoekema, The Bible, and the Future. I list Alcorn’s book first because it’s the easiest to read.
Quotes Worth Re-Quoting:
- “There are decades in which nothing happens, and there are weeks in which decades happen.” Vladimir Lenin
- “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Martin Luther King Jr.
- “I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own chamber. A man who has enough to live on, if he knew how to stay with pleasure at home, would not leave it to go to sea or to besiege a town. A commission in the army would not be bought so dearly, but that it is found insufferable not to budge from the town; and men only seek conversation and entering games, because they cannot remain with pleasure at home.” Blaise Pascal
Equal Opportunity Offenders: A friend sent me the following quote, “The problem with Progressives is that they are blinded to the partisanship of their claims. The problem with Conservatives is that they are blinded to the partisanship of their claims. Both are insufferable. And blinded. When Jesus is always on your side you are blind to the real Jesus. He doesn’t square up with you or anyone else. He is more For-Us than we are ourselves, and he’s more Against-Us than we could ever imagine.” I like several things about this quote – i.e., the suggestion that only bores are convinced that Jesus shares their every political whim, and the phrase, ‘He is more For-Us than we are ourselves, and he’s more Against-Us than we could ever imagine.’ But what jumped out at me most was the pride of the writer. Whoever made the quote is likely just as insufferably dogmatic about their moderate views as the progressive and conservative they are dismissing.
Without Comment:
- One-third of Americans recently admitted to drinking alcohol during work-from-home hours.
- 99.98% of people in Illinois have not died of COVID-19.
Marriage During Surviving Sheltering in Place: This week I interviewed Gary Thomas, the author of 18 books including Sacred Marriage, about how men could be better husbands during shelter in place. A video of our conversation is here. One of the many memorable moments of the night was his comment that 99% of married couples are surprised by how hard marriage turns out to be.
If Only: I start these emails with “Happy Friday.” But I wish I could be as happy as this guy.
Closing Prayer: O Lord Jesus Christ, I long to live in your presence, to see your human form and to watch you walking on earth. I do not want to see you through the darkened glass of tradition, nor through the eyes of today’s values and prejudices. I want to see you as you were, as you are, and as you always will be. I want to see you as an offense to human pride, as a man of humility, walking amongst the lowliest of men, and yet as the savior and redeemer of the human race. Amen. (Søren Kierkegaard, 1813-1855)